Rohit Sharma fires but India fold at Lord’s, end the tour with just one win | Cricket News

For a management team that refuses to talk about personal milestones, a 39-year-old Rohit Sharma unleashed a knock that made every cricket fan happy to bits. Chasing an impossible target of 388 in the series decider and looking to extend his career beyond this match, Rohit became the first Indian to score an ODI hundred at Lord’s on Sunday. Rohit’s knock of 138 off 110 balls is likely to spark debates about his place in India’s ODI World Cup plans. But it should not be lost on the caretakers of Indian cricket that India have lost three of the last four ODI series with India going down by 27 runs on a pitch that is closest to the top of India. Head coach Gautam Gambhir board a flight from London having won just one match on a white-ball tour that also included suffering a T20I whitewash at the hands of Ireland. Shubman Gill has not won a series since he took over the captaincy from Rohit in October. Talks about India’s preparations for next year’s World Cup revolve heavily around Rohit at the top of the order. As he has done of late, Rohit fired at the end of a series. And as India have been doing lately, their batting has always been second to the opposition in high-scoring games. More importantly, it is now well established that the bowling attack will always be breathless without Jasprit Bumrah, who is sitting out due to an injury suffered in the last ODI in Cardiff. The English batting feasted on the young Indian bowling attack where Ben Duckett scored 141 off 135 and Jacob Bethell hit 91 off 93 followed by Joe Root’s unbeaten 74 off 48 and Jos Buttler’s unbeaten 13-ball 41. Rohit did what he had to do to tell the team management and the selectors that he is not done playing for India. The innings may not have had the flair and range of strokes that Rohit has come with, but it screams of his fortitude and mental strength of a champion. The start offered by Gill and Rohit was amazing with the duo going for around 5-5.5 runs per over for the first 20 overs in a chase that demanded a run rate close to 7.5 runs per over. Rohit lost as India bowled out Gill for 77 off 84 balls for a score of 147 and Virat Kohli set out to chase that total. Rohit’s struggles against the good length ball off stump can be seen as he waits for the short balls to unleash his vintage pull shot. His first underground boundaries were almost 30 above the mark when he was fully settled. He seems to be in familiar territory with Kohli in his ear at the other end. The chase really started after 25 overs and it failed as a cramping Rohit fell in the 39th over. With a 103-run partnership in 14 overs, Kohli and Rohit came back in time but hopes of a miracle ended as Kohli departed for 74 off 60.